EDIBLE FLOWERS: THIS SUMMER’S PRETTIEST MENU TREND
With Chelsea Flower Show recently finishing for another year, that’s got us thinking about all the amazing edible flowers we use in catering. Many of which we grow right here in Salters HQ kitchen garden.
Know your edible flowers
Edible flowers lend eye-catching colour, visual intrigue, enchanting scents and nuanced flavour to all manner of recipes. What’s more, edible flowers are everywhere. Not just on almost-too-pretty-to-eat brunch dishes, restaurant menus, crystallised on cakes or offered in tiny plastic trays in gourmet food stores. The secret lies in knowing the different varieties and how to use them.
From the flower garden
Cornflower – A sweet-to-spicy clove-like flavour.
Dahlia – Flavours range from water chestnut and spicy apple to carrot.
Hibiscus – Great addition to fruit salads or to make a citrus-flavoured tea.
Honeysuckle – Enjoy the nectar fresh, or use petals make a syrup, pudding, or a tea.
Magnolia – The young flowers can be pickled or used fresh in salads.
Nasturtium – Tasting peppery, like watercress, these make a lovely salad addition.
Pansy – Mild and fresh-tasting, they’re great in a green salad or as a garnish.
Rose – Lovely in drinks, fruit dishes, jams, and jellies thanks to its delicate fragrance.
Scented Geraniums– The flavours range from citrussy to a hint of nutmeg.
Cape Jasmine – Extremely fragrant, they’re ideal for pickling, preserving, and baking.
Forget-me-not– Delicious as a trail snack on its own or as a garnish.
Sunflower– The mild nutty taste makes the petals good in salads or stir fries.
Hollyhock – Remove the centre stamen (e.g. pollen) before eating.
Lilac – Enjoy mixed with cream cheese or yogurt as a dip or spread.
Camellia – Used fresh as garnishes or dried and then used in Asian cuisine.
Fuchsia – Enhance the flavour by removing all green and brown bits and the stamen.
Freesia – Great infused in a tisane with lemon juice and zest.
Gladiolus – Mild in taste (similar to lettuce), they’re good in sweet or savoury dishes.
Peony – The petals taste lovely fresh in salads, or lightly cooked and sweetened.
Pinks – Tasting of clove, they’re good in flavoured sugars, oils and vinegars.
From the herb garden
Chive - eat chive blossoms raw, pickle them, deep-fry them, add them as an edible garnish, use them to flavour condiments, or sprinkle them into a dish as a seasoning.
Lavender - Lavender in baked goods should be used sparingly, but in the right proportion is delicious.
Garlic Scape - They are edible when young and add a delicate garlic flavour to salads, soups, and sauces.
Dill - The tiny yellow flowers are edible and can be sprinkled in salads or used to flavour dill pickles.
Borage - Both the foliage and the borage flower are edible. Its brilliant blue, star-shaped blooms lends a fresh cucumber-like flavour to iced teas and other drinks. Meanwhile, its leaves are best eaten when tender or cooked like spinach.
Mustard - The flowers can be added to salads and add a peppery taste.
Rocket - Sweet Rocket flowers can be used as a sweet and savoury garnish. Garnish meat dishes, hot drinks and cocktails with this dainty flower.
Lovage - The flowering stems can be candied. It’s a strong celery flavour with pepper.
Fennel - The flowers can be added to salads, and are extremely popular for their bright colouring and used as a garnish atop desserts and appetisers
Basil - Basil flowers are delightful in salads and for tea
Hyssop - The small flowers pack a powerful punch and have a hot spicy and thyme-like flavour. They go well, with chicken and french beans.
Mint - Fresh mint flowers are used for their flavour and aesthetic. In addition, why not try steeping the blooms in hot water for a refreshing tea.
Bergamot - The pinky mauve flowers can be added to salads or dried (they keep their colour well) and used as a Winter decoration.
Rosemary - Rosemary flowers are as tasty as the leaves, but there's a little bit of sweetness there too
Oregano - most commonly enjoyed as a garnish for savoury dishes and canapés.
Marjoram - can be scattered in salads to add extra colour. The flowers taste like a milder version of the leaves
Chamomile - Place fresh or dried chamomile flowers into a tea infuser for a delicate tea. It’s great in cocktails, particularly ones including gin or vodka, and can be used to infuse ice cream or sorbet with a crisp and vibrant taste and aroma. When used in desserts generally it has a great affinity with vanilla
Sage - In late spring to early summer it blooms beautiful blue-purple flowers that are edible too, their flavour is a very subtle version of the leaf. It can be fried as a snack, or used in salads.
Thyme - The tiny flowers impart the same flavour as the leaves in any dish and also add a touch of colour. Pinch off flowers and leaves to use as a flavourful garnish on salads, soups, or quiches. The flowers are often used to enhance herbed butters or spreads.
Savoury - Winter savoury flowers add similar, but more peppery, strength to salads and cooked dishes, but as they are so small, it is best to use leaves and flowers in cooked dishes and scatter a few flowers into a salad.
Clover - both red and white clover flowers can be used to garnish fruit and green salads or make wine from whole red flowers
From the vegetable garden
Courgette - With their frilly petals and delicate flavour, these edible flowers offer a delightful culinary adventure. From stuffed and gently fried variations to delectable fillings and vibrant accompaniments, courgette flowers bring a burst of flavour and visual appeal to any dish.
Squash - Very similar to courgette flowers. The flowers of both summer and winter squash are edible. You can eat them raw, dipped in batter and fried, stuff with cheese and baked, served over pasta or in a quesadilla. You can eat both the male and female flowers.
Scarlet runner bean - The striking scarlet flowers are edible, with a mild, sweet, somewhat “beany” flavour. Use in salads and to garnish soup and other dishes.
Artichokes - The part we eat on artichokes is an unopened flower. And when they open up, they have this gorgeous purple top. You can't eat it at this point.
Capers - it has small and dark leaves, as well as big and white flowers. You can eat everything from this plant: buds - i.e. capers -, fruits called caper berries, as well as caper leaves.
Passion fruit - Flowers are best suited as an edible accent, added at the end of preparations to maintain the flower's delicate shape and texture. The entire flower is edible and can be used whole to create a stunning presentation as a decorative garnish on cakes, bread, buffets, and dessert trays.
Garden pea - Pea blossoms offer up a slightly sweet, delicate flavour to add to your culinary dishes, with the taste of fresh peas. The texture of these blossoms is crunchy. Using these edible flowers adds a touch of beauty and a pop of colour to your plate
The best time to pick flowers is in the morning, before they get too warm from the sun. They are just releasing their nectar.
Many of the flowers mimic the herbal flavour but may be lighter or heavier. Taste before adding to a dish so you don't overwhelm it. In most cases you will want to pull the petals off and discard the ovary and sexual organs, but occasionally, as in the case of fennel, the pollen is a tasty addition to dishes like rice.
You can use edible herb blooms in syrups, cold beverages, as a tea, salads, baked goods, desserts, and many more applications. There are also other edible flowers like nasturtiums, violas, hollyhock, marigold, English daisy, and Dianthus. Flowers of some vegetables are also delicious like squash and artichoke.
If you want to know more about edible flowers, Thompson & Morgan have an extensive list. There’s a few surprising ones on there too!